Stouffer Outdoors
You will get wet on this ride but also make great friends, meet new people, and have fun.
Stouffer's traditional Stouffer Outdoors dates will be announced soon. First-year students are highly encouraged to attend and will return to campus in plenty of time for all the NSO activities.
Stouffer Outdoors will include:
- A lunch meal.
- An opportunity for canoeing.
- A chance to get to know your neighbors better.
*Breakfast will be light and grab-n-go, and dinner will be at the Dining Commons. While the House is subsidizing much of the experience's cost, we ask that each student attend pay a $110 fee to reserve a place and help cover the expenses. If the fee would cause you too much of a financial burden, feel free to contact stouffer@collegehouses.upenn.edu about the possibility of removing this barrier to participation.
Registration is first come, first served, and currently for 1st year students only. (Reservation link will be here.) If your spot has been reserved and confirmed (you have received an email notification from the House Director or House Coordinator), please see the payment options:
Checks can be made payable to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. Please bring the check with you when you move in.
OR
A $110 cash payment can be brought with you to move in. (There is an ATM at the WAWA underneath Stouffer Hall, and there is no surcharge fee for using the ATM.)
THE HOUSE DIRECTOR OR RAs WILL COLLECT PAYMENTS UPON YOUR ARRIVAL.
* Denotes essential items
Medication*
Sunscreen*
Sunglasses
Glasses/contacts*
Poncho or raincoat
Hat
Favorite snack
Medical Insurance Card*
T-shirts
Shorts
Swimsuit
Towel
Sandals or shoes that stay securely on your feet (water shoes highly suggested, no flip flops!)*
Insect repellent
Water bottle*
Camera
Change of dry clothes
Check the weather before you pack!!! It has rained in the past, and getting stuck with wet socks is a bummer.
If you have any questions about what to bring, please contact the House Office at 215.573.8473 or email us at stouffer@collegehouses.upenn.edu.
Welcome Weekend
Every year, Stouffer College House welcomes new and returning residents by hosting a multitude of events during the first weekend after move-in. In the past, our RAs have hosted trips to the Philadelphia Zoo, Adventure Aquarium in NJ, and excursions to various other local attractions. In addition to these events, the House Director invites a group of residents to a nice dinner at a local restaurant. The weekend is filled with events for all interests and is a great time for residents to connect with one another.
Events for this coming year are TBD. Come back to this page as we get closer to move-in for more information.
Melissa's Legacy: Awareness & Action
Every year, Stouffer holds an auction to remember Melissa Sengbusch, a former Stouffer resident and Penn Nursing student who passed away from leukemia before finishing her studies at Penn. Residents, faculty, staff, and alumni bid on donated items and all proceeds benefit the Penn School of Nursing's Melissa Sengbusch Inspiration Scholarship Fund.
Formerly known as the Dutch Auction, this revised traditional house program aims to honor the memory of former Stouffer resident Melissa Sengbusch and continue her legacy of strength and community impact. We encourage all students and community members to participate in this two-part program!
Event Details:
📅 Part 1 – Fundraiser at El Taco (March 20, 11 AM - 9:30 PM)
Enjoy a meal at El Taco, and 20% of your order will go toward a scholarship in Melissa’s name at the School of Nursing.
📅 Part 2 – Cancer Awareness & Education Session (March 21, 3:00 - 4:30 PM, Stouffer)
A meaningful discussion on cancer awareness and action.
Love or Fear
(written August 17, 1999 after bone marrow transplant)
In my heart burns low, a fear only I can ever know
and with this haunting how can I live, for all my
thoughts to this I cannot give.
And yet neither can I ignore the painful situation
I am in and have been before.
An all too real truth I know
that the way things seem is not always what is so.
Love or fear, choose one, choose life.
Both entities will never in harmony recite
the songs of my soul -
So I choose love, but how can I? When I'd be
lying to myself, denying to myself that I'm not
scared of what could be.
A cruel reality has not been lost on me.
Faith in the world, the spirit of a girl,
trust in the order, the sacred rhythm of time
that pulls me forward
and brings me each new morn is what shall
bring me to love, and I shall no longer be torn.
Melissa Sengbusch
Stouffer Semi-Formal
Each spring, the usually reserved Stoufferites put on their dancing shoes and "get down" in their (almost) snazziest get up. You are probably asking yourself:
Q) What should I wear?
Your choice! Stouffer’s annual semi-formal was created as an alternative for residents not engaged in Fraternity/Sorority Life and/or those who have a unique sense of style. This event is an opportunity for folks to show off in a safe space other than traditional formals. See the images from events in the past for reference.
Q) What kind of music will there be?
Whatever our fellow Stoufferites desire! Really though, keep your eyes peeled for an email from one of our Special Events Managers. Based on requests from years past, it will probably be music of the popular variety, as opposed to the line dancing variety. If you want line dancing though, that is cool, too...
Q) Will there be food?
Yes, of course! It will be catered, more info to come.
Q) Wait, where is it this year?
Location for the Semi Formal this year is TBD. In the past, we have held the event at Houston Hall and Penn LGBT Center.
Q) How do I RSVP/get tickets/how much are they?
FREE... That's right, this is a FREE event! So, there are no tickets to get and no sign-ups necessary if you're a resident of Stouffer College House. Just show up!
Q) How many guests can I bring?
Information pertaining to guests will be sent out soon! In the past Stouffer residents have been allowed to bring up to one extra guest from another college house.
Q) Are people leaving as a group? How do I get there?
Because the location is still TBD, we do not know if folks will be walking over as a group. However, in the past we have had RAs leading residents to the event.
Stouffer College House Cup
Formerly, Stouffer took great pride in participating and winning a college house cup that featured all the college houses. That trophy remains on display in Mayer Hall to this day.
However, due to the disbandment of this event in 2020, we have decided to create a new version of the event to bring back the feeling of friendly competition. In 2023-2024 as we reopened the newly rennovated Stouffer Hall, the Stouffer House Cup was introduced to encourage collaboration and team work across both buildings of our community.
Teams are composed of different floors and sections between the two buildings. See the list below to see what team your room is on. Events range from academic to athletics. Each participant can check in with the program host at the program that they attend to earn points, and they can also do well in the competitions to earn a greater amount of points. At the end of the year the winning team (team which accumulated the most points) will receive a prize in the form of a pizza or ice cream party and house bragging rights. The team name and year will be forever enshrined on the house cup trophy which is on display in Stouffer Hall.
Please be sure to be on the lookout for more information to come.
Yellow Team: Mayer 2nd Floor, Mayer 3rd Floor, Stouffer 1st Floor East, & Stouffer 2nd Floor East
Blue Team: Mayer 4th Floor, Mayer 5th Floor, Stouffer 1st Floor Central, & Stouffer 2nd Floor Central
Green Team: Mayer 6th Floor, Mayer 7th Floor, Stouffer 1st Floor West, & Stouffer 2nd Floor West